Cigarette ash receiver



Dec. 30, 1952 L. souu-z CIGARETTE ASH RECEIVER Filed Nov. 1, l950 INVENTOR:

Patented Dec. 30,1952

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CIGARETTE ASH RECEIVER Leslie Soule, Dover, Mass.

Application November 1, 1950, Serial No. 193,329

6 Claims.

My invention relates to cigarette ash receivers such as are commonly employed in automobiles and the like. See also my copending companion application, Serial No. 139,491, filed January 19, 1950, relating to the same subject. Such ash receivers have ordinarily been made in the form of a tray or drawer, which can be moved in and out from beneath some fixed part of the automobile or the like, for instance, the instrument panel or the arm of a seat. Such trays ordinarily have a fixed member on which the lighted end of the cigarette butt can be rubbed out after which the cigarette butt is dropped into the tray. As the cigarette butts and ashes accumulate in the tray, a heap of easily combustible matter results which is often ignited by sparks which fall from a succeeding cigarette butt or from one which has not been completely extinguished. Consequently there is serious danger of fire resulting but more often there is an annoying smudge which the driver of the vehicle must put out. Usually this involves stopping the vehicle, removing the ash tray which may be very hot and pouring out the contents. Ash trays are rarely kept clean and, therefore, the danger of fire or smudge is an ever-present one. Furthermore, a driver who has had trouble from fire or smudge usually takes pains to extinguish the lighted cigarette completely and this is likely to take his attention from the road with consequent danger of accident.

My present invention has for its object an ash receptacle so constructed that no sparks can fall into a heap of cigarette butts in the tray and the cigarette butt may always be completely extinguished before it is deposited in the bottom of the tray.

The device embodying my invention is simple and inexpensive to construct and is completely automatic and effective in operation, requiring no attention on the part of the operator or user.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 shows an ash receptacle supported on the underside of an instrument panel of an automobile, the tray being shown in open position and the tray and instrument panel being partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the extinguishing cup of the device "shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of the pivoted supporting member for the cup.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view showing the supporting member in the tilted position which it occupies after the tray is closed and the cigarette is discharged from the cup.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 6 shows the device in a modified form.

At II is shown the instrument panel or other stationary member and at H a tray mounted to be moved in and out of an opening iii in the instrument panel. In the drawing, I have shown a sliding tray but it will be recognized. that other arrangements are possible, as, for instance, a swinging or tilting arrangement. At It is shown the handle of the tray. Mounted in the tray is a pivotable supporting member I 5 which is formed conveniently of a strip of metal twisted preferably through an angle somewhat more than 90. The member 15 is provided with pivots [8-48 one of which is received in a hole I9 in the front wall of the tray and the other in a hole 20 in the rear wall or in a depending lug 2| secured to the tray. In the form shown in the drawings, the spiral supporting member is mounted so that its axis of rotation is from front to back of the tray, i. e., in line with the in and out movement of the tray when it is pulled out to open or close it. In a convenient position a cup 25 having a closed bottom 26 on the lower side of the supporting member is secured to the spiral supporting member It by brazing or the like. The cup is secured with its center of gravity below the axis of rotation of the spiral supporting member so that unless otherwise controlled the cup tends to assume an upright position. This cup is cut away on one side at a point 21 below the top edge of the spiral member to allow the cigarette butt to fall out when the cup is in discharging position. The forward side of the cup is provided with an upstanding wall 34 which helps to guide the cigarette butt into the cup. The rear upper corner of the supporting member I5 is bevelled as shown at 30 on the side opposite to the side opening of the cup so that when the tray is pushed in this bevel will strike the depending lower edge of the instrument panel or other stationary part and push the spiral edge to the right as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5 after which as the tray is pushed in the top edge rides along the under side of the instrument panel and is caused to revolve on the pivots. A notch 3| (Fig. 6) may be formed at the lower edge of the instrument panel and so located that it straddles the upper edge of the spiral member 15. This notch holds the spiral member positively at all positions of the tray with the upper edge of the spiral member in the notch of the fixed member, thus making it unnecessary to rely on gravity or to provide a spring to return the spiral member and cup to receiving position; but of course a spring may be used if preferred. The device is constructed so that when the tray is pushed in and closed, the spiral member l and cup 25 are in the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5 with the cut-away side of the cup on its downward side. When the tray is pulled out to open it the spiral member rides along the under, side, of, theedge of the instrument panel allowing the supporting; member to rotate on its pivots Iii-48 until the cup assumes an erect or nearly erect position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. When in this position, the user may put the cigarette butt in the cup with'the lighted end down, whereupon it is extinguished almost instantly from lack of oxygen and absorption of heat through the metal of. .thercup.- Thetray.

can be pushed in and closed. Pushing in the tray causes one edge of the spiral member to ride along on the under surface of the stationary member above it rotating the supporting member and cup about the pivot pins 58 until theposition shown'in-Fig. 4 is reached. At this time ,the cup having been swung into horizontal position, or past, the cigarette butt falls out through the open side into the tray. When a notchin the under side of the instrument panel is provided the cup is rotated positively as it is pushed inand out and is not dependent on the weight of the bottom of the cup to turnthe spiral, member on its axis to turn the cup to ertical position when the tray is pulled out. in practice I find that the cigarette is extinguished almost immediately after being placed in the cup and that by the time the tray has been pushed in and the cigarette butt has fallen out the fire has been'extinguished.

I'claim:

1.An improved ash and cigarette receptacle comprising, in combination a stationary member, a tray movable in and out beneath said stationary member, a spiral member pivoted on the tray and extending in the direction of the in and out sliding movement and in engagement with said stationary member, said spiral pivoted member having its inner end in a plane at least 90 from, the outer end'and a cigarette butt receiving cup secured thereto, the said spiral member being rotated .by its engagement with said stationary member during the in and out movementof the tray.

2. An improved ash and cigarette receptacle comprising,in-combination a stationary member, a tray mova'ole inand out beneath said stat-ionary member, a spiral member pivoted on the tray and extending in the direction of-the in and out sliding movement and in engagement with said stationary member, said spiral pivoted member having its inner end in a plane at least 90from the outer, end and a cigarette butt receiving cup secured thereto and having suiiic'ient weight on one side of the axis of rotation to hold the cup in-upright position when said spiral member is disengaged from said stationary member upon sufficient withdrawal of said tray from saidvstationary member, the said spiral memher being rotated by its engagement with said stationary member during the in and out movement of the, tray.

3. An improved ash and cigarette receptacle comprising, in combination a stationary member, a tray movable in and out beneath said stationary member, a spiral member pivoted on the tray and extending in the direction of the in and out sliding movement and in engagement with said stationary member, said spiral pivoted member having its inner end in a plane at least from the outer end and a cigarette but receiving cup secured thereto, said cup being cut away on one side to allow the butt to fall out when the, cupis. in dischargingv position, the. said spiral member being rotated by its engagement with said stationary member during the in and out movement of the tray.

4. An improved ash and cigarette receptacle comprising, in combination a stationary member, a tray movable in and out beneath said stationary member, a spiral member pivoted on the tray' and extendingin the direction of the in and out sliding movement and in engagement with said stationary member, said spiral pivot member having its inner end in a plane at least 90 from the outer end and a cigarette butt receiving cup secured thereto, the edge of the spiral pivoted member being in position to contact a fixedpart of the stationary member and thereby to rotate the spiral pivoted member and cup the tray is moved in to its closed position, and out to its open position.

5. An improved ash and cigarette receptacle comprising, in combination a stationary member, a tray movable in and out beneath said stationary member, a spiral member pivoted on the tray and extendingin the direction of the in out sliding mcvement and in engagement with-said stationary member, said spiral pivoted member having its inner end in a plane at least 0 from the outer end and a cigarette butt receiving cup secured thereto, and the edge of the stationary member being provided with a notch which straddles the edge of the pivoted spiral member, the said spiral member being rotated by its engagement with said stationary member during the in and out movement of the tray.

6. An improved cigarette ash receiver comprising in combination a stationary member, a tray mounted for movement in and out beneath said stationary member, a spiral supporting member pivotally mounted on the tray'with its axis of rotation extending in the direction of the in and out movement of the tray and having an edge in engagement with said stationary memher, said spiral member comprising a spiral strip twisted at least 90, and a cup'having a closed bottom and a partly open side mounted-on said spiral member, the said spiral member being rotated by its engagement with said stationary member during the in and out movement of the tray.

LESLIE SOULE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are'of' record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS.

Number Name Date D. 101,312 Ridewood Sept. 22, 1936 1308552 Arnold July 1, 1919 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 9,624 Great Britain 1915 

